kevinmcfl

EPISODE #23 JANUARY 21, 1989 Colonel Debeers amps it up! Colonel Debeers was all set to take on Keith Stieborn (a lower-card black wrestler) but Debeers walked out of the ring and went right to Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross where he announced that he has not traveled half way around the world only to be insulted by being told to wrestle a man like that. When Jim Ross asked what he meant by that Debeers announced that he will not wrestle any non-white man as he does not want to dirty himself with such filth. Debeers then walks off as Tony and Jim just shake their heads. Rip Rogers-Jeff Jarrett Last week we saw Rogers and Terri Powers interrupt Jarrett’s post-match interview where they told the young wrestler that he was only in WCW because of his Daddy and then Rogers proceeded to clobber Jarrett when he made the mistake of turning his back on “the Hustler.” This week, Rip won his TV match and in his post-match interview, he was explaining how obvious it was that Jeff Jarrett was in over his head as all it took was one shot to leave him laying on the ground. When Jim Ross added that the one shot was a sucker punch by Rip Rogers, Rogers vehemently denied it. Now it was Jeff Jarrett’s time to interrupt the interview. While Tony Schiavone asked for there to be peace and order, JJ simply said that he was not a coward like Rip Rogers and he didn’t attack people when their back was turned but if Rip Rogers wasn’t a coward that he would meet him in the ring Right Now! As JJ got in the ring, Rogers smirked like this would only take a minute. Rip and Terri headed to the ring as the crowd erupted for young Jarrett. Jarrett started shaking the ropes and you could tell he was fired up! Suddenly, Rip stops, goes to Terri and whispers in her ear. She has a quizzical look and the then nods in approval. To everyone’s surprise, it is Terri Powers who climbs up on the apron and into the ring. Jarrett just slumps with disappointment. Rip is laughing on the outside. Terri walks right up to Jeff and gives him a big double bicep pose. Tony and Jim do admire her physique and wonder what will happen next. JJ just shakes his head. She dares him to hit him. JJ refuses. She pushes JJ (and he does take a few steps back for from the power). Again, she tells him to hit her. JJ refuses. WHAM… She gives him a good punch and he staggers back again. This time JJ simply leaves the ring as both Terri and Rip are screaming that he can’t even fight a girl. THE WCW TAG TEAM DIVISION CONTINUES TO HEAT UP -Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard with Woman got another easy win this weak as the continue to stake their claim for a title shot at either the WCW champs, Dibiase and Dr. Death or The U.S. Title and the Freebirds. They were joined by fellow Horseman, Ric Flair during their interview where Flair continues to laugh at the idea that Sting or Luger will ever be good enough to take his title. Woman once again hinted about the idea that there may be a 4th Horsemen coming in but that it would have to be a perfect situation. -The Grapplers destroyed their opponents this week and seem to want the Freebirds in the ring. Earlier in the show Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin with Precious had come out and given a classic Freebird promo talking about how none of the teams in WCW had the guts to walk down Badstreet with the Freebirds. Grappler #1 referenced this in his post-match interview when he said that it would be a bad, bad day for the Freebirds when the Grapplers showed up to Badstreet. Jim Ross seemed to think that just might be true. -The New Texas Outlaws (Dick Murdoch and Terry Funk) lost their match against Cody Starr and Nick Atkinson as Murdoch and Funk refused to stop beating Starr and Atkinson from pillar to post long after the match was over. Referee Pee Wee Anderson warned them multiple times to stop and then he finally reversed the decision. As Funk and Murdoch turned to Pee Wee, the ref realized he was in serious trouble and hightailed it from the ring. Funk and Murdoch then went back to beating the poor stiffs here were already crumpled up on the floor. Eventually Tony Schiavone took us to commercial break just to restore order. -Hacksaw Butch Reed and Ron Simmons defeated Larry Cheatum and Lee Ramsey in an easy match that showcased their power. While they are not a full-time tag team at the moment, they could easily rise up the ranks if they went this route. Instead of focusing on the tag team division, both seemed more focused on what they want to do to Colonel Debeers because of his earlier nonsense with Keith Steiborn. -The interesting thing was that the WCW Champs, Ted Dibiase and Dr. Death did not wrestle again this week. In fact, it seems that they have not been in the ring since Wrestlecade on December 26th. While they were all business during there interview and said all the right things about being willing to take on all-comers, some wonder how bad Dr. Death’s knee injury really is. Main Event Match: WCW World Television Title: Eddie Gilbert © with Missy Hyatt vs Ricky Morton This is a rematch from Wrestlecade where Gilbert survived with a time-limit draw. Last week, Gilbert kind of put his foot in his mouth when he told Jerry Jarrett to make sure not to waste his time with any of the low-level wrestlers that Jarrett had up in Memphis. He must have forgotten that Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson had wrestled in Memphis for a long time and Jarrett quickly pointed this out and then announced that it would be Gilbert and Morton in today’s main event. Gilbert, with his dirty tactics and Missy’s dastardly deeds allows the champ to get off to a quick start. After a few minutes wrestling from the top, Gilbert couldn’t help himself as his arrogance just starting oozing from every pore in his body. Hot Stuff starts strutting around the ring and antagonizing the fans as only he could. In a real cocky move, he calls Missy to the apron and the two embrace and give a pretty risqué kiss for family television. Gilbert finally turns his attention back to Morton but he has fooled around to long. Just as in his tag matches, Morton has done a great job playing the face in peril but now it is his turn and he is all over Gilbert. From drop kicks to arm drags to back body drops, Morton is on fire. When Morton followed up back to back dropkicks with a flying head scissors, Missy begins to panic. It looks like she motions to the back and suddenly, someone is rushing to the ring. Tony Schiavone announces that, it’s “Hollywood” John Tatum, former member of Hot Stuff Inc!” Tatum hit the ring and is all over Ricky Morton. Ref Teddy Long calls for the bell. Tatum and Gilbert are all over Ricky Morton. This goes on for a minute until the crowd ERUPTS!!! This time, it is none other than Robert Gibson who has been out of action since Thanksgiving due to an eye injury!! We now go 2-2 and the brawl is awesome! Eventually, the Rock n Roll Express control the ring as the heels tumble to floor. Gilbert grabs his belt and the new/old Hot Stuff Inc. duo leave the ring. As they are just about to go behind the curtain, you see Missy give Hollywood John Tatum and pretty good smack on the butt! It is the Rock n Roll Express who go the bottom where Robert is ecstatic to be back and the two put Eddie Gilbert and John Tatum on notice that they are coming for them!! Jim Ross takes us to commercial by announcing that WCW is such a better place when the Rock n Roll Express are together!!! This was probably a parting shot at Jim Herd for his ridiculous booking! Other Wrestlers Getting A Win on WCW This Week -Tony Atlas, Jim Powers, Don Muraco, Brad Armstrong, Sam Houston and Lord Humongous. Behind the Scenes News -With Memphis Wrestling going out of business, WCW is looking to expand its borders and make Tennessee on of its secondary markets. With all the connections Jerry Jarrett has in the Memphis area, he believes this could be very profitable for WCW if he can secure one thing… “The King” Jerry Lawler! Word is Lawler is playing hard to get! Lawler has always liked having a title around his waist. If Jarrett doesn’t guarantee this, Lawler may look to go elsewhere. Whatever happens here, most think that whoever gets the King also gets the Tennessee wrestling fans and their money. Update on Clash of Champions: St. Valentines Day Massacre - Jerry Jarrett informed the audience that St. Valentine’s Day Massacre on Feb. 15th will now be taking place at the Nashville Memorial Auditorium and not Kiel Arena. There was no reason given but Jarrett did urge fans to get their tickets soon as it is sure to be a hot ticket. Jarrett promised more information on the matches for that event next week but did give the fans something to look forward to as this event will mark the debut of Jake “The Snake” Roberts who will appear on a special Piper’s Pit! Update to Miami Mayhem on Feb. 27: As we already know, this event will include a WCW World Tag Team Title match, a WCW World Title Match and the 25 man “Lottery-Style Entry” Battle Royal where the winner will get $50,000 and a WCW World Title Shot at Wrestlecade in April. Last week we learned the Lord Humongous would be one of the participants in this match. This week we learned that Ron Simmons, Don Muraco and Tony Atlas will also be added to the event. There is still no word on who will face Ric Flair for the WCW title and no word on who will face Ted Dibiase and Dr. Death for the World Tag Team Title. From the Power Plant - It didn’t take long for Mr. Wrestling II to start character development for his pupils at the Power Plant. Mr. Wrestling II knows from experience that he is one of the most recognizable men in all of wrestling and it has a lot more to do with his mask than his famed Million Dollar Knee Lift. Together, Mr. Wrestling II and Scott Norton have decided to try and attempt to build the character Scott “The Flash” Norton. This seems a little strange when you look at Norton and his 6’3, 360-pound frame. When you think of the term flash, Norton might be the last thing you picture in your head. Mr. Wrestling II came up with the idea as Norton is a 4-time United States Arm Wrestling Champion and he is said to have beaten his opponents in a flash! Mr. Wrestling II said the nickname and the backstory would give the announcers something to talk about which would help him to get over with the fans. Many think Mr. Wrestling II is reaching with this one as it would make more sense to build Norton as a heel rather than a babyface. Time will tell but Mr. Wrestling II has a plan, and it seems like his pupils have bought in! We might just see “The Flash” in WCW in the not-so-distant future.

Free agency is open

thank you

Free agency is currently closed.

Still working on catching up. I really enjoyed the show on Jan 12. I am looking forward to seeing what you have planned for 1989 as it seems a little bit different then what the rest of us have planned. Jumbo as champ really makes the AWA a world promotion and it will be great seeing you run a few shows in Japan. Idol and Armstrong are both past their prime as Idol accused Bob of but this feud can still see tickets! Smart promoting. Nikita-Sarge with Sarge as the heel.... Can't wait! I always thought Akbar ran a great heel stable. Looking forward to Devastation Inc in the AWA. Orndorff taking on all comers is going to be great! Wasn't sure what to expect with the Rose-Rose match. I thought the handshake was a good way to go.

Just to inform anyone thinking of joining Dawn of War, these are the states completely open for new promotions. Be creative. Nothing has to be historically accurate. If you wish to run somewhere else, feel free to ask. There are also other states open to be shared. Feel free to ask. Alaska Arkansas Southern California Delaware Hawaii (Must allow PCW to run 1-2 major shows here per year) Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Michigan Missouri Montana Nebraska New Mexico North Dakota Oklahoma South Dakota Texas Utah Wyoming

I am looking forward to seeing what you do with PCO. I don't know much about him but he looks like a star in images I have seen. Neidhart vs Mr. Saito... cool match up.

EPISODE #22 JANUARY 14, 1989 Jerry Jarrett Gets Confronted Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert and Missy Hyatt showed no respect for the new WCW President, Jerry Jarrett when they interrupted his interview where he was hyping up both Clash of Champions: St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and Miami Mayhem. Eddie Gilbert let everyone know that at one time in his career, he worked for the small Memphis promotion that Jarrett ran and let him clearly know that WCW is the big time and if he tries any of the nonsense that he did in Memphis, he will run WCW into the ground just like he did in Memphis. When Jarrett asked What he meant by that, Missy sauntered her way into the interview and let him know that Eddie and Missy where the face of WCW and that he shouldn’t waste any of their time with matches against any of the small time wrestlers he had in Memphis. Jarrett kind of chuckled and said that was exactly his plan. He went on to say that in Memphis, he was lucky to have wrestlers who might not have been big time but they gave it their all and that he thought it would be great for them to get a shot at the WCW World Television Title. When Eddie interrupted, Jarrett clearly put him in his place and told him to wait until he was finished as he was about to announce some of the small time wrestlers he had in Memphis. He went on to announce both the Rock n Roll Express and the Armstrongs! Gilbert tried to interrupt but Jarrett was now on a role and announced that next week, Eddie Gilbert will have a rematch from Wrestlecade and his title will be on the line against one time, small time-promotion member, Ricky Morton and that match will be right here on WTBS! Eddie and Missy tried to interrupt but Jarrett simply walked away. Certain Angles Continue - Sting and Lex Luger had singles matches against low level performers and both called out the Horseman in their post-match interview. Luger, was happy to be the U.S. Champion but he and Sting both put Ric Flair on notice. They also said they were angry with themselves for trusting Tully Blanchard and that if he and Arn had any interest in getting in the ring with them, they would put him in their place. Tully and Arn also had their first tag team match together in quite some time as they easily defeated the Young Guns (Sam Houston and Kendall Windham) in this weeks main event. Flair joined Tully and Arn in their post-match interview where Flair said that he and Tully had a long talk before Wrestlecade and that they both know that they are better together then against each other. They also said that sometimes families fight but nobody fights the family and if Luger and Sting want to continue this silly game of chasing the best, they are going to run into a brick wall. Woman did say that the group had made a mistake with Dan Spivey and that they are still looking for the 4th Horsemen but they will make sure to make the Perfect decision this time. When this promo was done both Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross noted that Lex and Sting better be careful as it seems to be 3-2 right now. -Don Muraco easily won his match against Allen Martin with the Hawaiin Hammer. During the match, Roddy Piper was part of the announce team and he made no bones about his low blow and brass knuckles shot to Muraco during Wrestlecade. He reminded everyone that it was Muraco who had shoved him a few weeks ago and that Piper just shoves a little harder. Piper let everyone know that if you mess with the bull, sometimes you get the horns and that is exactly what Muraco got. Piper left the interview area before Muraco came over for his match which Muraco pointed out was just another cowardly act by Piper just like what he did at Wrestlecade. While there is no set date for these two to get back in the ring together, you can be sure that it is coming. -Sir Oliver Humperdink and Lord Humongous continue their reign of terror on WCW. Humongous got another 30 second win with the powerbomb as he destroyed Kieth Steiborn. Humperdink announced that it was obvious that WCW was doing its best to prevent the inevitable as they keep giving Humongous these easy matches. Humperdink quickly rephrased his last sentence as he let everyone know that whoever Humongous faced, it would be an easy win for him. He also let everyone know that Mayhem will be his coming out party as now there is no way to stop Lord Humongous from getting a WCW World Title shot. New Angles -Jeff Jarrett defeated Larry Cheatum by submission with the Figure 4 in his first WCW match. He was very humble in his first post-match interview with Jim Ross as he was just happy to be here in WCW and to test his skills against the best of the best. This is when “The Hustler” Rip Rogers and Terri Powers walked in. Jim Ross asked what they were doing a this was not their time. Rogers quickly reminded Jim Ross that they do want they want in WCW and right now, they wanted to know what Jarrett was doing here in WCW. Rogers reminded everyone that he was “the hustler” but it seems that Jerry Jarrett was trying to hustle everyone here in WCW by saying that his snot-nosed kid belonged in the big time! Rogers continued by saying that he didn’t even think he could beat Terri as she was clearly stronger than he was. Terri gave an impressive double bicep pose which Jeff nodded in approval. Jeff simply said that he would be grateful for a match against Rip to try and test his approval. Rip took this as an insult as he thought he was far too good to get in the ring with such a low-level performer. As Jeff turned to the crowd to get some approval for a possible match between the Hustler and himself…. WHAM… Rogers nailed him from behind and then he and Terri walked off. Jeff struggled to his feet and seemed to get serious quickly… “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. Rogers… I’m ready anytime you want to step foot in the ring. -It seems the Anti-American angle is underway as the most obnoxious man ever to step foot in WCW has arrived. Col. Debeers gave an instant heat-building promo with Jim Ross. Debeers: (He came to the set wearing green camouflage pants, a black beret with the South African flag on it, an angry looking handlebar mustaches and and carrying a walking stick which he held with some strange pinky grip): Today, is about respect. Respect for the greatest wrestler you Americans have ever seen. Respect for South Africa. A country that completely understands the proper order of how people in society fit. We don’t give in to terrorist like Nelson Mandela … while you people almost elected someone like Reverend Jesse Jackson for president. I am here to put the wrestling world in proper order. You will learn that Col. Debeers and others are sick and tired of what America stands for. Your disgusting thoughts that all people are equal is nonsense. There is no one equal to me, especially not the filth you have running around here getting everything they don’t deserve. When Debeers marched off, Jim Ross made it clear that the views of Col. Debeers are not the views of WCW and the WTBS broadcasting system. -The tag team division seems to be heating up as The Fabulous Freebirds (Hayes & Garvin), the Grapplers, The Samoan Swat Team, Terry Funk & Dick Murdoch and Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard all had wins today. Who will get the title shots is still to be sorted out. One thing for certain is that Dr. Death was still a little gimpy and was seen hobbling. What this means for the WCW World Tag Team champions is still to be determined. -Two babyface newcomers, Shane Douglas and Jim Powers both got nice wins in singles competition this week and got over with the crowd pretty well. Again, time will tell if they catch on. - Others getting wins in this big 12 match tv show included Hacksaw Butch Reed who seemed none to pleased with the nonsense coming from Col. DeBeers, Sam Houston who gave the ladies in the crowd something to look at and Medusa Micelli who returned the favor for the men in the crowd. Big News Coming from the WCW Power Plant - It seems like Jerry Jarrett is bringing in NWA legend, Mr. Wrestling II to be the head trainer in the Power Plant. Jarrett said that he was looking for someone who could not only teach what goes on inside of the ring but also be able to help the young stars work on their microphone skills. Those is the business say that Mr. Wrestling II and his nearly 5000 in-ring matches and 30+ years in the business should be great in this role. Others also noted his ability to be such a great heel and babyface will allow him to get the most out of each wrestler at the Power Plant. What to Expect Next Week in WCW - The Main Event: WCW World Television Title Match Between Eddie Gilbert and Ricky Morton - Information Jake “The Snake” Roberts coming to WCW -Some clarity on the tag team situation, especially with a focus on the World Champs, Ted Dibiase and Dr. Death in regards to the health of Dr. Death’s knee. -Some developments for Clash of Champions: St. Valentines Day Massacre

Really sorry to have fallen behind. Life is crazy for the next two months. Love all the hard work leading up to Superclash and it did not disappoint one bit! Nice win for the Gunslingers. I must admit that I thought a title change was coming here but looking forward to seeing what is next for the champs. Nice added match with Grizzly and Kaz! I think this was a good way to bring in Grizz as it gives him some instant credibility. Interested to see what you do with him. Just like in the second match, I think this was an instant way to get Vader into the mix. He could be big time by now. I really enjoyed Black Bart vs Iceman. This was so well done and just as I pictured these two going at in back in Texas in the early 80's. I love Iceman as a bigtime midcard fan favorite. Good booking again with Sarge. If you want him to be big time, he needed a push. Not sure I would have watched much of the DJ-Adias match as I might have been focused on Raquel! Nice use of the big card to introduce some of the newcomers!! My favorite match of the night was Kerry vs Gordy!! Man I miss those old events from the Sportatorium! I guess I keep rooting for my favorites as a youth... enjoyed Keirn and Mr. Olympia Blackwell and Kokina is a nice addition to the card as it is just so different from everything else. Hope the ring was re-enforced. I must admit that I was surprised with Buzz Sawyer getting the win over Colon and this is only because for the last few years I have watched Colon do the unthinkable against the nastiest people in the sport. Hope to see him back again. I thin we have discussed this before... how in real life, we were never that excited about Larry Z but having him on my roster and following him here in the AWA, I admit I enjoy him here in Dawn of War. That being said, this was one of the matches I was really interested in and truly enjoyed. Looking forward to Orndorff with the belt and seeing what is next for the Living Legend. If you have the Guerreros and the Fantastics wrestle 10 times, I bet it is 5-5. Instant classic. Great job. Talk about instant classic, the main event did not disappoint. I love Jumbo as the new champ, especially with all the talk you have been doing as far as the AWA going international. Just a question for you. I have had Nikita a few times and while I was always excited to have him, I quickly got tired of him. I think it was because I had trouble coming up with different things for him. Did you feel the same? Awesome show!!! I will catch up with the rest of what I missed in the AWA before the weekend is over. Take care buddy!

Great opening to the show with what went down in Memphis! Jerry Jarrett has no comment right now. Hickerson is an interesting choice. I wonder if he will solve or create the problems. Love the chaos of the tag titles! I think having the women at the top of the talent helps to keep everyone interested in a promotion like this.

Great work getting your new roster all in order. I really love when the local fan favorite turns heel. It just gets everyone so angry. Billy Jack in Portland fit this and this could be a real money maker!

Royal Rumble looking good! Looking forward to Dusty Rhodes in the WWF! Looking forward to seeing what Tommy Rich does here.

Really thought this was a great week for the NWA. The quality of matches on TV was awesome... Valiant vs Koloff, Steven Wright vs Adrian Street, John Studd coming to help Baby Doll and then Wahoo finding some awesome tag partners to face Paul Jone's Army. I hope Superfly will leap soon! He is a great addition. Loved it all!!

Welcome back to the game! I agree with Spaldoni. Neidhart could be huge here. Also like all the different talents being used.

Day 1 was a great event. I enjoyed the videos you added. I wish I used Jimmy Valiant in the one he was in the video. He cool vibe got over with the fans! Badd Company and Baby Doll will make for a fun watch every week. The Perfect 10 always adds some excitement. Buddy Landel might not be the Nature Boy some were expecting but he is a star and should make the Horsemen a great stable!

Sorry, I fell a bit behind again. I enjoyed how your SNME followed your dirt sheets. Very good. I must admit that I am really excited about the WWF with Hogan. It kid of frees you up to make it what you like. Excited for the Royal Rumble. It is my favorite event. One I had to steal with WCW with Mayhem.

Ok, so who is this masked man causing all the chaos in PCW?

EPISODE #21 JANUARY 6, 1989 PREVIEW SHOW FOR THE NEW YEAR Jerry Jarrett: With Jim Herd on the verge of having the wrestlers walk out due to his lack of wrestling knowledge, WCW has brought in Jerry Jarrett to be the new President of the company. Jarrett is most known for the way he creatively made Memphis Wrestling into one of the top promotions in the country. On his first TV appearance, he made sure fans understood that he would do anything to make sure they got a quality program every week. He also announced that WCW had two major events coming up in February. First, on February 15th in St. Louis, Missouri it would be Clash of Champions III: St. Valentine’s Day Massacre which would air right here on WTBS. Then on February 27, WCW will have its first Pay-Per-View event of the year titled Miami Mayhem and take place at the Miami Arena. Jarrett went on to explain that Mayhem will be a unique event where not only will the WCW World Title and the WCW World Tag Team Title be defended, but there will also be The Mayhem Match which will be based on the classic Battle Royal in which a 25 wrestlers aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the floor. The difference in the Mayhem Match is that the contestants do not enter the ring at the same time, but instead are assigned entry numbers, via a lottery. The match begins with the two wrestlers who have drawn entry numbers one and two, with the remaining wrestlers entering the ring at two minutes intervals according to their entry number. The winner of Mayhem will receive a WCW World Title match at WrestleWar 89 to take place on April 17th in the Midsouth Coliseum. While nobody is sure if Mayhem will be a success, word is that the wrestlers like the idea that the gimmick has to do with the match and not them changing their character like it was under Jim Herd. WCW officials also liked that Jerry Jarrett was able to use his Memphis connections to secure the Midsouth Coliseum, one of the iconic wrestling venues in the country. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE ROSTER CHANGES FOR 1989. Those on the way out: -“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes- Due to a difference of opinion with Jim Herd, Dusty and WCW have decided to part ways. This is the most difficult of all the moves and maybe one day under Jerry Jarrett, Dusty can return home. - Dan Spivey- Spivey seemed on the verge of stardom in WCW as he was recently added to the Horsemen stable. Nobody knows exactly what went wrong here but the angle soon changed to where he became a selfish member of the group and was quickly kicked out. WCW seemed content to not renew his contract and have parted ways. -The Latin Connection (Mando Guerrero & Ricky Santana)- Again, nobody knows what went wrong with this gimmick but just before Jim Herd was let go, he released the tag team. This occurred just days after they lost their United States tag team to the Freebirds. Some say that Jim Herd just wasn’t creative enough to come up with something else for the duo after the title loss. Whatever the reason, Herd should have seen that the Latin Connection’s chemistry on the mic with Roddy Piper was very entertaining. One thing of note here is that Dr. Diobolico, the Latin Connection’s “bodyguard” is still under contract to WCW. -The Nation (Snowman & Ray Candy)- This one was done under Jerry Jarrett. Jarrett and Snowman have some history working together and the word on the street is that Snowman is not a team player and that the anti-establishment character he plays in wrestling might just actually be his true personality outside of the ring also. While Jarrett is a leader the wrestlers respect, he needs that respect from the wrestlers to move WCW in the right direction. If Snowman couldn’t do this, he had to go. Ray Candy just seems to be a casualty of Snowman’s reputation. Again, an interesting note was that Curtis Hughes was not released. Maybe this was due to him being a brand new member of the Nation and Jarrett may feel that he can rebrand his identity. Time will tell. -Jimmy Valiant- “The Boogie Woogie Man” also left WCW angry by the direction Jim Herd was taking his character. Valiant said that he was starting to look like a dirty old man instead of a cool free-loving hippie. Valiant is said the return to where he is respected… the NWA. -Sweet Brown Sugar- This was a move by Jerry Jarrett that was out of respect to Sweet Brown Sugar. Jarrett really likes SBS and realized that he was not much more than a jobber in WCW. Jarrett knew that Sugar’s talent would be seen by other promoters and that he would catch on with another smaller promotion and hopefully play a bigger role. -Other minor releases- Mike Shaw, Cannoball Grizzly and Big Money Marcus Those on the way In: WCW Power Plant- One of the first things that Jerry Jarrett did was to open a wrestlers training facility for those just starting out in the business. This training facility is located in Atlanta and many former wrestlers have been hired to help future wrestlers learn the skills of the trade both inside and outside the ring. There seems to be some very talented future “stars” already enrolled in the school. One is a 6’3, 350 pound powerhouse by the name of Scott Norton. Another is Anthony Norris, a 6-2, 300 pound black man who is trying to find his way in the world after being discharged from the army for striking his captain. The Hoffman brothers are another two who have received early praise at the power plant. As with all potential stars in any sport, potential is the key word and only time will tell. -Jake “The Snake” Roberts- Easily the biggest the name to join WCW so far in 1989. What his role will be has been kept very quiet but with his in-ring abilities and talent on the mic, it won’t be long before Roberts is the middle of something in WCW. -Jeff Jarrett- Jeff has decided to follow his Dad, and make the jump from a smaller promotion to the big time. There is no denying his talent both in the ring and on the microphone. Everyone fully expects Jeff to be a star one day with or without his father and many say that 1989 will be his breakout year. -The Iron Sheik and The Cuban Assassin- It is obvious that Jarrett is taking a small chance by brining in these two as they are both passed their prime but one thing Jarrett knows is that the anti-American character still sells in wrestling; especially in the Southern states. If one or both of these can work out, it could help propel a babyface up the ranks or lead to a bigger angle. -Col. Debeers- Again, Jarrett is taking a chance as the Col. Debeers character is extreme. Maybe he is going to see what happens with the Iron Sheik and the Cuban Assassin first before bringing in DeBeers or maybe he will join all three together. Only time will tell but things are going to heat up in WCW. -“Hollywood” John Tatum- Tatum was rehired by WCW. The reason is that Jarrett feels that Tatum could be a great mid-card heel as he is great on the mic and is a genius at antagonizing the fans once he steps foot in the ring. There is a small problem here as he is said to have had some sort of relationship with Missy Hyatt. While it was kept behind the scenes, this did upset Eddie Gilbert and might have been the reason he left WCW to begin with. -Jack Victory- Victory left with Tatum as Jim Herd kind of quickly put an end to Hot Stuff Inc. and left Eddie and Missy to work solely by themselves. It is interesting to see him return to WCW at the same time as Tatum. It is also possible that Victory puts his red mask back on as the Russian Assassin and joins those already mentioned in a larger Anti-American stable. Again, time will tell. -Jim Powers- While Powers is not a huge star, he does have the looks to make him a midcard babyface which is something missing from the WCW roster. ANGLES -WCW World Title- Champion Ric Flair While Flair is the champion, there is no shortage of challengers to the title. At the top of that list has to be Lex Luger. With his recent win to become United States Champion and his strong hatred for everything Horsemen, he has to be considered a major threat to Flair. The same can be said for Luger’s good friend Sting. It took a bit of chaos and shenanigans just to keep Sting from leaving Wrestlecade with the title. Sting has to be in line for another title shot and this time, who is to say that he wouldn’t leave with the title. And just look at some of the other names that would love a shot at Flair and the 10-pounds of gold. There is Roddy Piper, Terry Funk, Tony Atlas and Hacksaw Butch Reed. Nobody would be shocked if any of these 4 men walked into a match with Ric Flair and walked out the champion. Needless to say, 1989 is going to be a tough year for Ric Flair. -Tag Team Picture- World Champions: Ted Dibiase & Dr. Death, U.S Tag Champions: Freebirds Going into 1989, one of the major goals of Jerry Jarrett is to increase the depth in the tag team picture. While the amount of quality teams might not be there, the firepower at the top most certainly is. With the Samoan Swat Team nearly capturing the world titles from Dibiase and Dr. Death at Wrestlecade, they still must be considered the #1 contenders for the big title. Now with Dr. Death seemingly a little hobbled after the match, one might even say that the Samoans might be favored in a rematch against the champs. Now with the Latin Connection gone from WCW, who are the other tag teams that could make a push in 1989. First, you must look at the Freebirds who might want to step up from their U.S. titles to the world title. After watching Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin dismantle the Latin Connection at Wrestlecade, and knowing their history, the Freebirds might just enter 1989 as the United States Champions and leave 1989 as the World Champions. Terry Funk and Dick Murdoch might be on the verge of joining forces and if they do nobody is safe. With Murdoch helping Funk at Wrestlecade and both at the latter stages of the career, a tag team might just make the most sense. Also, WCW just added the Grapplers to its roster, and they have been dismantling any team put in the ring with them. They have the power to deal with Dibiase and Dr. Death and they also have the treachery to match the chaos of the Freebirds. Now we get to the big names of possible additions to the tag team picture. Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson looked to be on the same page at Wrestlecade and if these two decide to get back in the tag game, they will quickly move to the top as they are one of the best duos ever to be in the ring together. The exact same thing can be said for the Rock n Roll Express. While Jim Herd had the “brilliant” idea to have Robert Gibson sit on the shelf with an imaginary injury, you can fully expect Jarrett to put the tag team back together very soon. Jarrett comes from a promotion that loves its babyface tag teams and you can fully expect the Express to WOW the fans in the very near future. Add Tully and Arn and the Rock n Roll Express and a bleak tag team picture looks much better. Throw in fact that you still have the Lightening Express and possible any two from that Anti-American coalition that seems to be coming into WCW and the tag team picture is beginning to look brighter and brighter. The dark horse in all of this might be what Jarrett decides to do with Hacksaw Butch Reed. Reed and Ron Simmons looked very good together against the Nation at Wrestlecade. Some say that if Reed and Simmons work together full time, by the end of 1989 they could spell DOOM for the rest of the tag division. -The United States Title- Champion: Lex Luger So, who could rise up and take the U.S. Title from Luger in 1989? While that seems like a hard task, most think Luger will have to lose the title before completely turning his focus to the World Title. When you look at who has the in-ring ability and strength to deal with Luger, your choices are somewhat limited right now but wrestling is a strange sport with things constantly changing. While still relatively new, you must think Oliver Humperdink’s monster, Lord Humongous, could match Luger muscle for muscle and power move for power move. Also, you never know but on any given night, Terry Funk, Dick Murdoch or Don Muraco could come out on top and leave with the U.S. Title. Also, imagine the heat that could come from a Col. Debeers or Iron Sheik taking the title from Lex Luger! …. And if we dare to dream, what if Dibiase and Dr. Death lose the World Tag Team Title. Lex Luger vs Dr. Death seems like a title match like no other. WOW -The WCW World Television Title: Eddie Gilbert What a man would do for a woman…. And what a woman Missy Hyatt is. I mean in the last year, Eddie Gilbert has basically tried to hang Dr. Tom Prichard and then tool care of Michael Hayes. He has sent the Z-Man Tom Zenk from WCW and has left the ring with his title after a war with Ricky Morton. What is next for the champion? Being the TV champ, it is not always about a feud but you must be ready to defend that title against someone new each and every week. With Jerry Jarrett coming in, it would not be a shock to anyone if he used that title to revise some Memphis angles of days gone by. Eddie Gilbert vs an Armstrong (Brad) seems like an awesome match. Thrown in a possible spoiled kid bout where Eddie ridicules Jeff Jarrett as only being in WCW because of his Daddy. With Eddie and Missy together, enjoy the wild ride. -Roddy Piper vs Don Muraco It looks from the finish at Wrestlecade that this one has some meat left on the bones. It will be interesting to see what is next here. -Jake “The Snake” Roberts- While nobody knows where Snake fits in WCW in 1989, everyone is expecting something big. Stay tune as 1989 is sure to be a barnburner. One thing for sure is that whatever the landscape of WCW was in 1988, it is sure to be bigger and better in 1989. Stay tune and enjoy the wild ride.

WCW announced on Friday that Executive Vice-President Jim Herd has been released. WCW officials announced that due to creative differences, Jim Herd will continue to work for WTBS but will no longer be involved in the popular wrestling program. One angle created by Jim Herd was that upset many people is the “injury” to Robert Gibson. This basically broke up the Rock n Roll Express, one of the most popular tag teams ever to step inside the ring. While Morton has thrived in his attempt to capture the WCW World Television title, it has left Gibson out of the territory weeks after signing a very lucrative contract. Many officials want Herd to explain how Gibson sitting on the shelf can give any return on their investment. Herd did not seem to have an answer. Next, WCW has seen a bit of a mass exodus of wrestling stars in the past month. This includes Stan Hansen, Jimmy Valiant, Armondo Guererro along with one of the biggest stars in the industry, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. Stan Hansen jumped ship when Herd demanded that he take part in a comedic angle where he would be the leader of the Desperados. If you know anything about Stan Hansen, you know that he would not be a part of any comedic angle. Jimmy Valiant was frustrated as he was being portrayed as some dirty old man instead of the fun-loving hippie that he has been for much of the last decade. The one that really broke the camel’s back was Dusty Rhodes. Jim Herd wanted Dusty to go down in defeat to Terry Funk and then return the next week ditching his blue-collar persona and come out in a polka dot dress. Even after Dusty left, Jim Herd did not seem to smarten up. After Wrestlecade, he was said to have gone to the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flai, and told him that he was going to lose his “Nature Boy” gimmick and start to come to the ring as a Roman gladiator. Flair called a wrestlers-only meeting where they agreed that it was either Jim Herd or them. Thus… Herd was relieved of his wrestling dutues. In 1989, WCW will turn to promoter Jerry Jarrett. The reasons why are numerous. One person said that the difference between Jim Herd and Jerry Jarrett is like night and day. Herd knew nothing of the wrestling business while Jarrett has spent his entire life in and around wrestling. He has been a wrestler. He has been a promoter. He has done everything in the business. He turned Memphis into one of the best promotions in the country with very believable yet creative storylines all with a relatively small budget. While it has only been a few days since he has joined WCW, many popular wrestlers have inquired about joining WCW. One was actually quoted as saying, “Jerry Jarrett has the best track record in the business. He just loves everything about the wrestling business. He loves the studio, the arenas, the fans… He lives for professional wrestling. This quote is by the one and only Jake “The Snake” Roberts who will be returning to WCW for 1989. Who else will Jerry Jarrett bring in to replace the wrestlers who have left? Tune in to WTBS each and every weekend to find out.

WCW, in a move that was created by a typo and a note from Lowblow, well add Jerry Jarrett. If anyone in the future joins and wishes to run the Memphis Territory, I will send him back if they want him

WCW adds Iron Sheik

WCW also releases Sweet Brown Sugar, Mike Shaw, Big Money Marcus, Ricky Santana, Ray Candy, Snowman and Mando Guerrero

WCW adds Nikolai Volkoff

The loans do count against your roster. I moved Ivan Koloff to the NWA. I have you currently at 62 and NWA currently at 64. Everyone please check your rosters as I have made numerous errors.

I honestly thought the Renestos would never get the titles! Looking forward to seeing what is next!